Rye
by JazzyCat
Summary: -"I had a feeling that this was not a boring family. I just didn’t know if that was a good thing or not."- Mikan is different from the other girls. She goes near, while everyone else is afraid, but she never gets too close. MxN rating may change
1. Chapter 1

**[Rye]**

**Chapter //1//

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**

The water was still because of the lack of breeze that afternoon. It was a little muggy without wind, but I didn't mind, because I got my peace and quiet, and I had dressed lightly to avoid overheating. I was stretched out on my back, lying on a flat expanse of rock right on the shore of the pond. If I stretched out my hands I could dip my fingers in the water, or grab a fistful of grass.

The sun moved from behind a cloud and shone in my eyes. I covered them with my arm.

There was a peaceful silence that I enjoyed here, since no one beside myself ever dared to come near. The sight was not menacing. Quite the opposite. The pond was the best part of the neighborhood; sunny, usually breezy, with good landscaping right on the edge of the forest, the tree line starting fifty yards from the western-most bank. It was almost like a park, and yet I had it all to myself.

I heard my best—and only—friend, Ruka, calling me. I didn't open my eyes. I didn't even acknowledge that I'd heard him. I knew he wouldn't come to get me.

It had become my place as I was the only one who dared get near. The rest of the population of Rye was scared shitless of this small body of water. Though, small as it was, it was actually quite large for a pond. The deepest point was over fifty feet deep, and it was almost crystal clear. Looking in on a nice day, I could see fish swimming about.

Ruka stood on the hill at the very edge of the field and waved, trying to get my attention. That was the farthest he would venture. I raised my arm to block the sun and opened one eye to look at him. He looked like he had something to tell me.

"I have something to tell you!" He cried. How did I know?

Slowly, deliberately, I sat up and allowed myself to adjust to my new position. I looked around lazily, taking in my surroundings and noting that nothing had changed. It was all just as I liked it. My gaze shifted to the edge of the forest and I frowned at the gray clouds I could see peeking. Still, I shrugged it off and stood, strolling over to my friend to find out what he wanted to tell me.

---X---

I lived in a town called Rye. It was a small, quaint little town full of good families with good morals and all that. Mothers and children and couples who never divorced, the whole nine yards. I'd lived there as long as I could remember.

And I hated it.

Not that I was treated badly or anything, because no one really gave a damn about who I was, where I came from, or what I did around town (which was nothing). As long as I didn't cause trouble—which I only did when I saw a need for it—I was left well enough alone.

My parents had died years ago in a car accident. I was passed along to my uncle Persona, who isn't actually related to me. Persona wasn't the greatest legal guardian, and he ended up dying of alcohol poisoning. Luckily for me, I was allowed to stay in the house he owned out in little old Rye.

Yippie.

Aside from being sweet, quiet, and all-around a "little dream town" it was the most uneventful place in the world. Not even uninhabited caves in the bottom of the ocean were as boring as this. Seriously.

Only one thing bothered me more than that: the people. The town was full of creeps and weirdoes, and it's not that I have to worry about being raped or anything (I can take care of myself) but it's troublesome for me when my gay neighbor Narumi is shouting cat-calls over the fence at me when I walk out in the morning. Or when that obsessed girl from three streets over starts following me around, though I've made it clear that I have no intention of dating her. Ever. In all honesty—and I've told her this—I would rather gouge my eyes out with a spoon than go out with her. She started a freaking club for others who want to follow me around obsessively.

Then there's that Imai girl a few blocks away who's got it bad for Ruka. She's cold and ruthless, money-hungry and has no mercy or remorse. Ruka has fallen prey to her get-rich-quick schemes many times and all of them seem to involve selling candid shots of him in compromising or embarrassing positions.

I think she just wants them for her personal collection. I've told this to Ruka and he doesn't believe me.

I just wish there was one person (other than my animal-loving, slightly girly best friend) who didn't bother me into oblivion everyday. Someone I could really get close to, someone who wouldn't be afraid to come to the water's edge with me.

But there's no one. Even Ruka is afraid of the water. I am alone.

---X---

I ran a hand through my hair to get the dark strands out of my eyes as a sudden wind picked up, rustling through the tall grass.

"What is it, Ruka?" I asked, slightly irritable from being woken. Lids half-closed, I look him in the eye. They're shockingly blue.

"You know that old house next to yours?" Of course I know the house next to mine, but I didn't say this. "The one that's been on the market for the past year and a half?" He seems excited, so I can only guess what's going on, with little chance that I'm wrong. Either it's haunted or…

"Someone's moving in?" I inquire. He nodded happily, blonde hair bouncing. He flashes a white-toothed smile.

"Isn't it exciting? Someone new!"

He was acting like a child, which I pointed out to him. He just flushed and stammered as he replied indignantly, denying it. However, we both knew I was right.

I was curious to know what kind of person would be moving in, and I hoped it was someone sensible and not annoying. Perhaps someone our age that I could hang out with. On occasion.

"When?" I asked suddenly. Ruka was quick to answer.

"The moving truck is out there right now. It's been there about an hour, and they've started unloading. To be honest, I hadn't heard about this until they drove up." Neither had I. Troublesome.

I clicked my teeth, producing one of my famous sounds: "tch." I shoved one hand into my pocket while running the other through my hair again—a habit that I had. A quick glance at my watch to see the time, and another look at the approaching storm clouds and I'd made up my mind.

"I'm going home," I announced. And without another word, I turned and headed in the direction of my house. And, coincidentally, the home of my "new neighbor."

Ruka was quick to follow me, grinning something about wanting to see who it was. I heard "cute" and "girl" thrown in there and I knew it was time to tune him out. He rambled on and I let my mind drift.

---X---

My house was on the smallest street in the tiny town; Rye street. Named after the town and all that. There were only six houses on each side. Mine was the fourth down, coming from the pond. The fifth down was the formerly-empty house, and the third (the house on the other side of mine) was that freak Narumi's. The others were inhabited by people not worth mentioning, since I didn't know who they were.

I trudged down the road, not bothering with the sidewalk, since there was never any traffic, until I reached my house, best friend still in tow. Without even glancing at the people running to and from the big orange moving truck, I slid into my house and closed the door. As soon as I was inside, I headed to the kitchen for a soda. Ruka headed for the living room to peek out the window.

"I think I see someone," he said, separating the blinds with two fingers. He looked like a snoopy neighbor from an old movie.

I leaned against the counter, can in hand, watching him watching others. I didn't care who was out there. "You look like a serial killer," I warned him. He quickly withdrew from the window, throwing me a sour look.

"You ruin things for me," he said before joining me. He rooted through my fridge without asking, knowing he didn't have to, and pulled another out another can. He joined me in leaning against the counter and we both drank in silence that I knew wouldn't last. A few minutes later, Ruka spoke.

"I think I saw someone our age."

"Hn." Another one of my famous words.

"They were kind of short, though. I could be wrong."

"Hn."

"Or it could be a girl."

"Hn."

"Shouldn't we be good neighbors and offer to help them?"

"Hn." The greatest part about that word was that it had so many meanings. Not only did it make me look mysterious, but it made whoever asked me a question very happy, as they got to do whatever the hell they wanted and feel like it was advice.

"Or bring them dinner or something?"

"Hn."

"Housewarming gift?"

"Do what you want." I crushed my can in my fist and tossed it into the recycling bin in the corner. "I've got a book to finish." I headed upstairs to find the summer reading we'd been assigned for the following year of school. Not that I didn't have time. It was only June.

"I know what you're doing," Ruka called up after me. "You're trying to get a better view."

Like I would. If I wanted to see these people, I would've gone outside.

"Good idea." To my dismay, my friend completely missed the fact that I had asked him to leave if he wouldn't change the topic of conversation and stop obsessing over my new neighbors. He followed me up the stairs and into my room. He took his place in his usual bean bag chair. I took out my book. Ruka just stared at me.

And stared.

And stared.

And stared.

Five minutes went by. Then ten. Then fifteen. Until I could no longer take it.

Slowly, I put down the book and sighed. I'd read the same sentence thirty-seven times, distracted by the gaze that lingered on me.

"Does it really matter than much to you?"

His face brightened as he smiled hugely and nodded in an exaggerated fashion that furthered the image of "little kid" that I had that day.

I sighed again and got up off my bed. "Alright, then. Let's go." I shoved my hands into my pockets and let Ruka lead the way.

---X---

The truck was still being unloaded, and from what I could see, most of the contents were furniture or large boxes with varying labels like "M's room" or "Library" or "attic". I wondered who 'M' was.

Ruka walked right up to the back of the truck and looked in at the movers. They ignored his presence, focusing solely on their job as they lifted a huge white sofa out of the back. They slowly carried it in through the front door and I heard a sudden shout.

"No, that goes over there!" It sounded rather distant, as though the person was calling across the house to someone. And judging by the authoritative tone, I guessed it was the owner of the house.

It was female. And not our age.

Disappointing.

The owner of the voice walked out of the house and eyed the truck, possibly wondering whether or not to just finish the job herself. She looked tired, hair disheveled, clothes wrinkled. And she had a not-totally-unfortunate-looking face.

Another person called to her and a man joined her in the doorstep. They talked for a few minutes about something and it seemed that they were arguing—something trivial because he wrapped an arm around her shoulder not seconds afterward.

They hadn't noticed us yet, so Ruka decided to make the first move and started up the walk. I followed.

"Hello," he said in his most friendly, likeable tone. "My name's Ruka and this is Natsume. Welcome to the neighborhood." He stuck his hand out to shake. The woman shook first, grinning.

"Yuka Azumi. Nice to meet you, too. I take it you're the new neighbors then?" The man beside her—dark-haired and somewhat strange looking (like a sleaze in my opinion) stuck his meaty hand out as well, introducing himself as Goro. I shook neither of their hands.

"Well, I'm not. Natsume lives in the house, I'm just his best friend and a regular visitor."

"I see."

"So, where are you moving from?" Ruka asked, starting up a normal conversation.

"A small town like this one, a few hours' drive away. Trousseau."

"Oh, really?"

I tuned them out and turned my attention to the man. Call me judgmental, but I didn't like the look of him. Dark hair, dark eyes, and slightly tanned skin stretched taut over thick muscles didn't exactly make him approachable. His face was menacing and his eyebrows seemed to be at a permanent tilt downward. And, on top of all that, his teeth were bad.

I sized him up. I might have been able to take him if we fought, but I was skilled enough that it would've been a close match. And I didn't doubt that we'd have a fight at some point in our lives. Not one bit f doubt, not with a face like that. He had the air of a troublemaker, something slimy and gross about him that I didn't like and I didn't intend to let it go.

The woman on the other hand—his wife I presumed—had short brown hair cropped to her chin and a sweet (but simultaneously no-nonsense) face with big brown eyes. She was normal looking. I didn't know how she ended up with someone like "Goro".

"Well, I'm sorry, Ruka, but we've got to get going. Lots of unpacking to do and we're hoping to get the truck emptied before dark. It was nice to meet you, though, very sweet of you to introduce yourselves."

"Where's Mikan?" Goro asked, looking around. "She should be helping. She can take her boxes up."

"I have no idea," Yuka replied, sounding somewhat peeved. "That daughter of mine always finds a way to disappear unless I'm watching her at all times." She inhaled deeply and shouted her daughter's name. "She's probably fallen down a well," Yuka joked.

There were no wells in Rye. Not that I knew of. I didn't laugh.

"What is it, Mom?" A breathless voice asked. I looked to the origin and found myself staring at a girl of no more than sixteen, like myself. She was short, slender, and the spitting image of her mother. This girl's hair was longer, though, and bound in two pigtails on either side of her face. She looked like she had just run, and adjusted the waist of her ill-fitting jeans, pulling them up as she approached her parents.

"Just wondering where you went, dear. You should help bring boxes in. Oh, and these are the neighbors, Ruka and Natsume. I think they're about your age." The girl wasn't stupid, she could see that if she wanted.

I didn't shake this "Mikan"'s hand either. Just looked at her. She was getting weirded out.

"I was exploring, Mom," she explained. "I need to know my way around. Man, I really love it here already!"

I could tell within minutes of meeting her that she was the sickeningly optimistic type. She would be hyper and jumpy and all around annoying.

Exactly the opposite of what I was hoping for.

The two started in on an argument and they were equally matched. I tapped Ruka's arm, signaling that I thought we should leave. Having done my good deed foe the week, I turned and walked back toward my house. Ruka said 'goodbye' for the both of us and hurried after me.

"You want to stay for dinner?" I asked. He nodded.

"Sounds good. What are we having?"

"Pizza." Three out of the seven days of the week I had pizza. I was too lazy to cook for myself.

"Alright. Shall I call?"

"Hn." Once inside, I tossed him the cordless phone from the living room and settled into the couch. He dialed a number he'd committed to memory and looked at me silently from across the room while he waited for the pizza place to pick up on the other end.

"What?" I asked, suddenly disturbed by his gaze. I was starting to feel almost self-conscious.

"Nothing," he replied. "Just thinking."

"About what?" I asked, though I knew the answer. What else but the neighbors?

"Not much, just…" he paused.

"Spit it out."

"That Mikan girl sure was cute," he laughed. I turned my head and "hn"ed, which was neither agreement or disagreement. He was looking to see if I was interested.

"More like annoying. I can't believe that troublesome girl is going to be living next to me." I tried to convey hatred in my voice, but it came out sounding devoid of all emotion.

In all honesty, I was curious to see how things would turn out. I had a feeling that this was not a boring family.

I just didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

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**A/N: Something that came to me in a true moment of inspiration when I saw something out the window of my car. I'll tell you later what I saw. It's nothing special but to tell you now would spoil something I have in store. Review, please. Without feedback I won't continue. **


	2. Chapter 2

**[Rye]**

**Chapter //2//

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**

The next day was the beginning of week three of summer vacation. I had nine more to go after that, and nothing to do. That was, in itself, depressing.

The storm clouds I saw the previous evening had passed through town at an early hour of the morning, and the sun shone brightly outside my window at around nine. The grass was still a little damp, but it was warm enough outside that I didn't need to stay in. I got up and showered, took my time dressing—not that it mattered what I wore, since I always wore jeans and a t-shirt—and went downstairs to the kitchen for something to eat. My options were limited to stale cereal or cold pizza. I chose the pizza.

I chewed slowly, still a little tired, even after my full night's sleep, and thought about what I might waste my time on that day, coming up with ideas that were neither original nor time consuming, and decided to forget them all and do what I usually did—sleep down by the pond and then meet Ruka later.

I took care of my dishes and went upstairs to brush my teeth before grabbing a jacket and heading out. I ignored the advances of my gay neighbor—calling with his "yoo hoo, Natsume!" over the fence like a creeper—and shuffled down to the end of the street onto grass. It was indeed wet.

I was thankful for the sunlight, though, making it warm enough that I wouldn't be cooped up inside. Not that I had to stay in, I could go out if I wanted. I just didn't like lying in wet grass.

I fiddled with my phone in my pocket, wondering if I should just call Ruka and tell him that I didn't want to go to lunch that day, but decided against it. I never made phone calls.

I got to the top of the hill and stared into the sky as I made my way back down the other side, careful not to slip on the grass as I headed toward the large puddle that was Rye Pond. My pond. I glanced down as I got closer, and I was surprised to see someone else there.

At first, I thought I must have been dreaming. No one else ever even came on this side of the hill, let alone near the pond. But I blinked and looked again, and it was indeed real. Because sitting in the grass a few meters from the water's edge was my new neighbor, Mikan whatever-her-name-is.

She was wearing a sundress and crouched so that the hem rode up. She was squatting to use her legs as a table for the giant pad of sketching paper on her lap. Her hair was bound messily into what I assumed were her usual pigtails, and I could faintly see a smudge on her face, probably from the charcoal in her right hand.

She hadn't noticed my presence yet, so I decided to sneak up on her and scare her. She was, after all, on my territory.

My steps were soundless as I crept through the grass like a ninja, making a wide arc to avoid being seen by her peripherals. However, she seemed pretty into what she was doing, and might not have noticed me either way. I was directly behind her and I inched closer, until I was only a few feet away. Then I leaned over and said softly into her ear "what are you doing here?" I only got a few words in before she shrieked and jumped, dropping her art supplies and falling over in the grass. Her skirt rode up more and her hands flew down to adjust it, while I smirked at her carelessness.

I stood up to my full height again as I watched her get her things together and compose herself.

"Natsume!" She cried, looking slightly annoyed. I was surprised she remembered my name. "You scared me! What was that for?"

I put my hands in my pockets and shrugged, corners of my lips tugging upward of their own accord. "You're at my pond," I said nonchalantly by way of explanation.

"And why is this your pond and no one else's? As far as I can tell this is on public property and I've every right to be here." She was covering her embarrassment with something akin to anger, though she was doing so very poorly.

"It's mine because everyone else is afraid to come down here." I strolled away from her and walked down to the rock I usually napped on, taking a seat, crossing my legs and turning to look back at her. She hadn't moved. She whipped her head around to face me.

"I'm not scared. There's nothing here to be scared of." She didn't sound convinced, judging by the quiver to her voice. "Why would anyone be frightened of a place so beautiful?"

I leaned back on my hands and stretched my legs out in front of me, turning my face up to the sun a little, soaking up the vitamin D. "They're all scared…of the ghost." I saw her shiver.

"G-ghost?" I nodded.

"The ghost of a child." I narrowed my eyes and made my voice sound as scary as possible. I was greatly enjoying myself as I teased her. "Who drowned in this very pond."

She screamed. I chuckled to myself and stretched out on the rock, loving the way it felt after being in the sun for so long.

"You're lying!" She accused, pointing a finger at me shakily. She was tearing up with fear. "No one died here! There's no ghost! You just want me to go away!"

"True enough," I affirmed. "But I wasn't lying. A little boy did die here, fifty years ago. There's no ghost, though. And yes, I do want you to go away. You're quite noisy, did you know that?" I opened one eye to gauge her reaction. Her mouth gaped, open wide in disbelief. "And if you don't close your mouth, you'll attract flies." I turned my head away, signaling that I was finished talking to her.

She regained herself and huffed indignantly. "I never!" She mumbled under her breath. I heard her gather her paper and charcoal and stomp off in the direction of our street.

Finally, some peace.

---X---

I dozed off for about an hour, and when I opened my eyes, the sun was directly above me in the sky, blindingly bright, announcing the coming of noon. I blinked quickly, adjusting to the sudden change of light, and sat up, rubbing my head. I checked my watch to be sire of the time before getting up and headed back up the hill to meet Ruka. I knew he'd be at my place by then, probably wondering where I was.

I was very correct. As I walked down the street, hands in my pocket as usual, strolling with my shoulders rolled back, I could see his bike leaning against the fence of my front yard, the blue contrasting brilliantly against the faded white of the pickets. I walked the short walk leading to my front door and stepped in.

"Ruka," I called out while tossing my jacket over the back of a chair in the living room. I kicked my shoes off in two different directions and stepped over three pizza boxes and a pile of dirty laundry on my way down the hall, making a mental note to try and clean up a little bit. "Where are you?"

He hadn't been in the living room or the kitchen, and he had no reason to be in the laundry room or the coat closet. I poked my head into my room and he wasn't there either; just my unmade bed pushed up against the wall under the window and my piles of clothes—some clean, some not, all wrinkled—and books scattered across the floor, hiding the lush red carpet that I loved.

The blinds were hanging crooked, I noticed, and since I had nothing better to do at the moment, having lost Ruka temporarily, I decided I'd straighten up and immediately set about picking things up and setting them in what may or may not have been their proper place, mostly balling up articles of clothing and shoving them in a basket in the corner of my room and putting my books on things that were not the floor. I cleared off my desk and made a small pile of anything interesting I came across, like week-old petrified pizza crusts.

An hour passed and I'd barely made a dent, but Ruka hadn't showed up yet, and his bike was still outside my house when I checked. I adjusted the blinds on the window and started to make my bed haphazardly; throwing the sheets back up into an almost-straight position and getting my blanket off the floor and tossing it back on top. I straightened out the pillows as well, and—pleased with my work—I stood back up and glanced out the window.

And found myself staring at a half-naked Mikan in the other house.

I froze, wondering if she'd seen me already or if I was still undiscovered. She was pulling off her dress and leaning into her closet to choose something else to wear, completely oblivious to the fact that I could see her. Perhaps she hadn't put her curtains up yet.

I suddenly came to my senses, and managed to question myself. She was just an annoying little brat whom I did not care for, right? So why was I so fascinated by her polka-dotted underwear?

I crawled up onto the bed and just as I was leaning to grab the string to my blinds, she looked up.

Our eyes met.

She screamed.

"PERVERT!" She grabbed the closest thing she could find and covered herself, then ran from view, against the wall right beside the window, where I couldn't see her.

I closed the blinds. Ruka came in the door.

"What's all the yelling about?"

I looked at him over my shoulder. "Nothing," I said, and walked past him out of the room. "Where were you?" I asked him. "Your bike was outside."

"I was next door, helping them unpack."

I should have figured. Ruka was the type to do that.

"So, you gonna tell me why Mikan was screaming?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

---X---

After a quick lunch, Ruka and I went our separate ways again. I decided that rather than heading down to the pond, I would take a walk around town for a while. I pulled a wad of bills from the jar on my dresser and shoved it in my pocket with the intent of buying groceries while I was out. I was growing tired of pizza.

I ran my fingers through my hair—more out of habit than anything—before I got my jacket from the living room and left, not bothering to lock my door in a small town like this where everyone knew everyone else's business. There was almost no risk of thievery, not that I could afford anything worth stealing.

I jogged down the sidewalk and turned the corner, only slowing my pace when I was clear of Narumi, who had a habit of popping out of the house whenever I was outside and bothering me.

The sidewalk of the next street was longer, the street wider. This was the tail-end of Main Street, which led right into town square.

The walk was almost always a nice one, as I knew no one who lived on the east end of the streets, so I was safe from my stalker, Sumire Shouda, and her gang of floozies. I had the entire walk to myself, just the way I liked it.

I can't remember the last time I enjoyed the company of another person, other than Ruka. After my parents died, I'd become more reserved, folding inward on myself. If it hadn't been for Ruka coming into my life when he did, I might have closed myself off to everyone, never to care about another person again. I suppose I should consider myself lucky. But somehow, I don't.

With it being summer vacation and all, the square was busier than usual on a school day. A small crowd bustled about from one end to the other, entering shops here and there, some looking through windows, others comparing prices. A group of girls on my left was squealing over a dress that their friend had her eye on, complimenting her, saying how good it would look. A group of boys the same age just two doors down were telling vulgar stories that I blocked out. I blocked out everyone, not wanting to hear the noise, the insane din that rang in my ears hours after I'd gone home.

At the southern was the grocery store I frequented. This was the one place that no one seemed to be in, everyone spending their time shopping for leisurely things rather than the necessities. I had no time for such frivolity, and headed straight for the items I knew I needed, grabbing a basket as I passed the stack by the door.

I got the laundry detergent I needed, paper towels, and a new sponge. Walking briefly down the toiletries aisle, I grabbed the first bottles of shampoo and conditioner that I saw (not caring what type they were), remembering that I had a half-bottle of body wash still at home. I got milk, eggs, butter, bread; all the essential, mundane things that could be found in any household, and loaded up on a week's worth of produce.

That was about all I could afford with the cash I'd brought, so I paid quickly and left before I could give in to temptation and buy meat; something I rarely ever could afford and I usually consumed only what could be found on pizza.

I had two paper bags in one arm as I fished out the buzzing phone in my pocket, holding it to my ear as I walked, wanting to get home. The automatic doors slid open and I stepped out once more into the sunlight, my ears ringing when I heard the incessant buzz of jumbled speech.

"Hello?" I said dully.

_"Hey, it's Koko."_

"What do you want?"

_"Oh, you're nice, aren't you?"_

I stayed silent, not bothering to reply to that, instead waiting for him to get to the point.

_"A few of the guys were going to get together and go do something. I wanted to know if you wanted to join. Keep up with tradition and all that, y'know?"_ he said, referring to our habit of going out on Thursdays during the school year, usually going out to eat, and seeing a movie; just some down time with friends. Lately a bunch of the others had gotten girlfriends and scheduling times like that had been disastrous—not that I cared if we did it or not—so we decided to make it one set day of the week as a permanent fix and everyone scheduled around that.

I thought quickly about whether or not I wanted to go, and suddenly lost my train of thought as I stared across the square.

_"Hello? Natsume?"_

"I'll think about it," I grunted noncommittally into the phone before hanging up and approaching the little girl staring in through the art shop window.

I silently crept up beside her and followed her gaze. She was staring at a small box of colored oil pastels with a price that was clearly out of any normal person's range. But, apparently, this was the top-of-the-line stuff.

"Boo," I said and she jumped, whirling with wide eyes to see who was behind her. I smirked a greeting.

"Natsume!" She placed a hand over her heart and felt the quickened beat. "Do you make a habit of sneaking up behind people?" She asked. "Or peeking in through their windows?" The last bit was a hiss and her face turned bright red, shoulders shrugging up a little in embarrassment.

"Not my fault your room's across from mine," I replied. "Or that you can't close your curtains. Polka-dots."

She squeaked when she realized what I was talking about. The blush on her face deepened and she looked away.

"Pervert!" I shrugged and turned to walk away. She stuck her tongue out at me, and then threw one last look at the oil pastels before following me up the sidewalk of Main Street. After a few seconds, without stopping or looking back, I spoke.

"Stalking me?"

"As if!" She stammered back. "In case you forgot, I live this way too."

"Ah, but you seemed like you were shopping. Why go out of your way to follow me home?"

"Be-because." She said, and stopped, unable to think of a good enough reason, or, if she had one, she wasn't willing to share.

"Afraid of getting raped?" I looked back. She flinched at the bluntness of my words on such a touchy subject. But by her lack of response, I guessed I was right. "This is a small town, you'll be fine."

"But a small town means fewer people to hear me scream," she said, bringing up a valid point.

"But this small town is full of good people who wouldn't do that. I've lived here most of my life, and I know this for certain." I turned the corner onto my street and stopped in front of her house, still balancing my groceries in one arm and leaning a bit the other way.

"I beg to differ," she said. Her voice was so quiet, spoken under her breath, that I wasn't sure I was meant to hear that. Before I could ask her what she was talking about, she said a cheerful goodbye and skipped up the walk and into her house. My brow furrowed and I tried to imagine what she could be talking about.

I went inside and started putting my groceries away.

I knew most—if not all—of the people in Rye, and none of them were pedophiles or sexual predators. No one had ever been a victim. But she was implying that someone in town was capable of doing that. The only people I could think of was that family: Yuka, Mikan, Goro. Goro looked a shady character, but certainly he wasn't…

I pushed it from my mind and concentrated on the task at hand. With the newly-bought sponge I set to work washing dishes so I could make my dinner.

Like I knew it would, the buzz of the chatter from town still rang in my ears. I desperately wanted to go to the pond and make it stop. I couldn't determine one sound from the next.

But there was one voice that sounded clearer in my ears than any of the others.

* * *

**A/N: It has been brought to my attention that my first chapter was a little lacking. Looking back, I agree. I think I'll work on editing that soon. I blame it on my haste to start this story. I was very excited about it, lol. Please excuse that, enjoy this, and leave reviews with useful feedback like that. I should tell you now: at some point I will probably go through and edit all the chapters looking for grammatical mistakes and spelling errors, so please forgive those in this version. Thank you very much. Please enjoy the story!  
**


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